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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: shower · rock · bank · swing · land · race · pitch · fine

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. bank — for money
  3. swing — to play on
  4. rock — a stone
  5. swing — music
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. fine — high quality
  9. shower — rain
  10. bank — of a river
  11. land — a country
  12. bank — for money
  13. land — to come down
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. land — ground
  17. swing — in golf
  18. race — the arms race
  19. rock — music
  20. pitch — completely
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. fine — all right
  23. race — a contest
  24. race — humankind

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com